ANC leads with 56,21% of votes across SA

The ANC still maintains a strong lead as 40,3% of votes from across the country have been counted and declared. Picture Leon Lestrade/African News Agency(ANA)

Johannesburg - The ANC still maintains a strong lead as 40,3% of votes from across the country have been counted and declared.

South Africans should expect a long wait as results votes from Wednesday's general elections continue to trickle in at the national results centre.

The latest results place the ANC firmly in the lead nationally with 56,21% of the votes, while the DA sits at 24,17% and the EFF at 9,14%.

A number of the votes counted have been from relatively small and medium districts.

As the day progresses higher reporting numbers should be expected.

In analysing the ANC’s performance so far, political analyst Ralph Mathekga said if the ANC receives about 58% of the votes it could still be considered as a relatively good performance especially considering the troubles the party has been experiencing.

“Generally, my view is that these elections were going to be mediocre elections. The main political parties were very uncertain going into these elections about how South Africans will reflect upon them. For the ANC for me, it was pointing to below 60% and I still think if they end up at 58% it is the best performance especially considering the challenges they have been faced with,” Mathekga said.

For the EFF, Mathekga predicts the party will grow, but will not meet the double-digit numbers it was hoping to achieve.

“The EFF will grow but still below what they think was possible. Voters are reflecting on the level of radicalism that is happening within the country and the EFF has pushed it and the party would know what is tolerable or not,” he said.

With the voter turnover expected to be above 60%, Mathekga believes the poor turnout seems to be focused on ANC areas.

“The ANC performance is not bad so far, but we should also look at the turnout as well. The poor turnout seems to be focused among ANC voters.

“The elections are also about how the opposition has pushed the ANC. They (ANC) did all their best. This is a party that is over 100 years old that has defined society almost to the core. They have been experiencing a legitimacy crisis but as an institution, it has been there. Elections have been about whether the ANC wins or not and less about the opposition,” Mathekga said.